Parts of far north Queensland have been shaken by a minor earthquake on Tuesday afternoon.

Geoscience Australia says the magnitude 4 earthquake was recorded 30 kilometres off the coast of Innisfail just after 4:00pm (AEST).

Authorities say there is no tsunami threat or reports of damage, but residents have felt tremors in areas including Gordonvale, Innisfail and Babinda.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Dr Jonathan Bathgate says it is not linked to last Friday's devastating earthquake in Japan.

"It is a coincidence, they're completely unrelated events," he said.

Weather bureau spokeswoman Liz Heba says people do not have to worry about a tsunami as a result.

"It is quite shallow and with only a magnitude 4 it's not any threat for a tsunami," she said.

"I know people are concerned about that at the moment but certainly no threat at all - really just the effect has been people feeling it."

Les Scheu, who lives near Innisfail, says the quake was brief, but scary.

"We were sitting out the front on a little concrete patio and next thing it just sounded like an explosion," he said.

Dr Bathgate says there were similar earthquakes in the same area in 1989 and 1990.

"Australia tends to have what we call intraplate earthquakes across the continent," he said.

"It's just a release of stress that builds up in the crust due to Australia's tectonic movement in the north, so occasionally the rocks give way and the stress is released in certain parts of the country."